Kale, Chickpea and Roasted Delicata Squash Salad
Roasted delicata squash salad is tossed with baby kale, roasted chickpeas, crumbled feta, and pomegranate and then drizzled with a creamy tahini dressing for a hearty and cozy fall vegetarian meal. Skip the feta for a vegan salad. Great as a side for Thanksgiving too!
Servings 4 salads
Calories 575kcal
Ingredients
- 2 delicata squash
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas
- olive oil, for tossing with the squash and chickpeas
- 6-8 cups baby kale, or large kale chopped
- 4 oz feta cheese
- 6 tbsp pepitas, hulled and roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 6 tbsp pomegranate seeds
Chickpea Spice Mix
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp coriander
- sprinkle kosher salt
Lemon Tahini Dressing
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or shaved
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Arrange the oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions. Preheat oven to 425F.
- Cut the delicata squash in half the long way. Scoop out the seeds. Then slice each half in to 1/2 inch slices. Toss with olive oil and kosher salt.
- Spread out the squash on a baking sheet and put in the bottom rack in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Then dry them well with towels. (Drier chickpeas are crispier chickpeas.)
- Toss the chickpeas with the spice mix and some olive oil. Spread them out on a baking sheet and, once the oven timer is up, put it in the oven in upper position. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Turn over the squash. Switch the trays and roast for 10 minutes more.
- Prep the rest of the salad ingredients while the squash is roasting.
- Whisk together the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Toss the kale with a little of the dressing and massage it in. Add to a serving bowl. Top with the rest of the ingredients. Drizzle over the dressing.
Notes
- Squash: If delicata squash is unavailable or not in season, switch to diced butternut squash.
- Sumac: You can find sumac in many supermarkets, Middle Eastern/Greek specialty shops, or on the internet.
- Chickpeas: For crisper chickpeas, add them to the oven at the same time you add the squash. Switch the racks top to bottom at the 15 minute mark.
- Substitutions: You can switch the feta to goat cheese, use other seeds like sunflower, and use dried fruit like cranberry or cherries in place of the pomegranates.
Nutrition
Calories: 575kcal